The Runesmith Chronicles Ch. 23

Corben, Thom, and Tain all came to him after a few weeks and asked if he would be interested in expanding his farm. With the three of them working fields that had been manageable by a single person and the added help of their harpy girlfriends they didn't feel like they were doing enough work to justify their pay. Kal passed off the idea to Perra who was quickly becoming his go-to person for business matters now that she wasn't doing much farm work. The next day she showed him a writ of ownership that increased the size of his farm by more than double and later that day he could already see trees on the back edge of the property coming down to make room for more fields.

Kal was certainly proud of what his farm was turning into, at the same time, it seemed to drive home that this wasn't what he was meant to do in life. He was bothered that all of this recent prosperity had come about through no actual work of his own. Even when his hired help and the harpies had suggested moving the boarding house from behind the barn to the north-eastern corner of his property, keeping them and any possible future families away from prying eyes, all he had done was nod his assent. It was perhaps a blessing that between his studies and his mother he had little time to dwell on such thoughts.

The rhythmic pace to Kal's life came to an end when Gerda announced that she was going to be heading out to get Bas. With so many distractions he had completely forgotten about his rendezvous with the golem's sister. After the poor start with Sandy he wondered if some of that forgetfulness was intentional, he wasn't excited about the prospect of a repeat.

Perra seemed especially agitated by the news. It took him a few hours to realize that she was right in the middle of her cycle, meaning that it was also her best time to get pregnant if she chose to. They had talked about children a couple of times, but she had yet to give him a solid answer as to whether or not she wanted his child before he left.

On the day Kal was to meet with the Bas he left a huffy and scowling Perra banging dishes around in the kitchen area. As he made his way to Ikuno's he maintained his normal routine and stopped to say a couple of words to Eludora. To his surprise, something had changed in his daughter's little clearing. There was a small sprout poking up out of the ground at the very top of her mound. Kal's excitement shot through his bond with the girls and through his connection with Perra, even though she had dulled things down to a whisper earlier because of her mood. Within minutes Perra and Ikuno were on their way and very pregnant Bea was slowly heading towards Aradelle. Kal wished he could do the same, he could tell she was crying tears of happiness through their bond and wanted to be there to comfort her. Since that wasn't possible today, he instead burned the image of their daughter into his head and sent it to 'Dell as strongly as he could. She quickly sent back a few interesting things she planned on doing to him during his next visit to show her appreciation. Ikuno arrived first and immediately burst into tears upon the tiny green tendril that had pushed up through the soil. Kal could hardly blame her, in a way Eludora was as much Ikuno's as she was his and 'Dell's. Kal experienced a flash of sadness at how the oni had to experience things like motherhood in a second-hand manner.

Ikuno looked up at him from where she was kneeling next to Eludora. "Don't feel sad for me," she said, "I came to terms with that part of my life long ago."

Hoofbeats from the southwest announced Perra's arrival just before Bonn trotted into the small clearing and came to a stop. At Kal's questioning look toward the horse she just smiled, "I was going to head over to town and already had him saddled." She stared at the tiny plant in front of Ikuno as she dismounted. "She's beautiful, Kal." The oni looked up at Perra's voice, quickly wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Perra hesitated next to Bonn for a moment before walking over and throwing her arms around Ikuno's neck. "I've missed you," she mumbled into the blue woman's shoulder.

Ikuno returned the hug, "I've missed you too dear. I'd resigned myself to not seeing you until Bea's little girl hatched and we all went up there to see her." They had decided that meeting Bea's baby would also be a good time to see if the bonding magic would work for Perra as well. Ikuno was adamant that the attempt be a bit more ceremonious than the other girls had been. The only reason Kal could come up with for the oni's insistence was that they were both human and the scene Ikuno pictured was somewhat similar to a human wedding ceremony.

Kal sighed heavily, "Much as I would like to stay, Gerda is still expecting me."

Perra lifted her head off of Ikuno's shoulder and gave him a sultry look, "You finally get us together and now you're running away?" Turning back to the oni, she said, "I guess we will have to keep ourselves occupied."

"Perra!" the girl's eyes widened at Kal's tone. He indicated the sprout over by her and Ikuno, "Not in front of the children," he said emphatically while utterly failing at keeping a straight face. Perra rolled her eyes in exasperation as Ikuno started laughing. He stepped over and gave them both a quick goodbye kiss before continuing on his way to meet Gerda.

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Kal couldn't have been more wrong in thinking that Bas would be anything like Sandy. When he and Gerda entered her cavern Bas was sitting on the bed, she immediately stood and began walking toward them.

Bas was nearly as tall as he was and followed the same pattern of which body parts were made of rock, the similarities ended there. Where Gerda was all soft curves and Sandy had a body type very close to Perra's; Bas's body and how she moved gave the impression of raw sensuality. Kal found himself getting hard already and she hadn't done anything more than walk towards him. It probably helped that she hadn't bothered with the pebble bikini and had shrunk down all of her rocky parts the same way Gerda did. Unlike Gerda and Sandy, her stone body parts were smooth, as if polished. This gave her the look of wearing boots, a single glove and a partial mask made out of something similar to Bea's chitin but without the brown undertones.

From his experience with Ikuno and the others Kal could tell every movement the woman made was designed to be enticing; from the gentle almost hypnotic sway of her large breasts, to the way every step seemed like a presentation of a perfectly shaped leg that made him forget her sex was in plain sight, then teased him with its presence until she brought her other leg forward. The display was nothing short of masterful as the prick straining to get out of his trousers could attest to.

Bas stopped in front of Kal, her entire demeanor changed from full vamp to concerned and hesitant in an instant. "Is what Lime is saying true? That if I bind myself to you it will protect me from men using their seed to try to hunt me?" Her voice was smooth and almost melodic, a welcome change from Sandy.

Kal nodded, "Yes we believe that to be true, although, in honesty, we haven't tested it yet. One of my women who has been bound to others before says that's how it works, and I trust her implicitly. The only way to know is to try it."

Bas closed her human eye as she considered his offer. When she opened it again a few moments later there was a smile on her face and she was back to being a seductress. Kal was a little bit surprised when he saw the binding magic swirl in between him and the golem but true to his word he accepted it.

Bas smiled when she felt the desire coming from Kal and nearly laughed at the fainter desires coming from a few of the other women wanting to learn how to move like she did. She stepped closer to Kal and took his hand. "You've given me protection," she said, pulling him toward the bed, "now it's time to give me a daughter."

Kal laughed, "What do I get out of it?" he asked as she nearly dragged him along.

Bas dropped his hand and stood in front of the bed with her arms out to either side.

"Everything."

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Kal pushed aside all of the background chatter among the girls as he made his way home the next day. Bas and Gerda were still back at Ikuno's chatting with the oni and trying to keep Aradelle and Bea in the conversation as well. Unfortunately, talking with the girls on the northern side of the mountain took more 'volume' for lack of a better word, this meant they were being very loud to Kal.

He stopped in to see Eludora and got another surprise. Where a sprout had been the day before there was now a sapling that was nearly chest high and dotted with tiny leaf-buds. Aradelle explained through a series of images that this was how a young Alarune increased her chances of survival and was completely normal. First, they set down a good-sized root system then grew intensely for a couple of days to avoid being eaten by local fauna as well as get up into the canopy of the forest to get access to sunlight, something Eludora didn't need to worry about thanks to her little clearing. Next, they would take on the look of a nearby tree and use it as camouflage while they grew to adulthood. Kal sent back his thanks and decided that he should probably get his mother over here within the next couple of days, so she could meet her first granddaughter.

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"This is my granddaughter?" Kal's mother said as Perra helped her down of Bonn's back and into Kal's waiting arms.

"Don't sound so disappointed, mother," he was starting to think that perhaps this hadn't been the greatest idea. His mother had been grouchy and complained all the way here.

"I'm not disappointed, she's beautiful, Kal. But this..." she waved at the small tree in front of her, "isn't the same as having a baby to swaddle and bounce on your knee." Kal could hardly argue that point as Eludora now stood well over his head and even Ikuno's, the buds from the day before had turned into oval-shaped leaves that danced in the light breeze.

Kal stood next to his daughter's tree holding his mother. She reached up and took one of the leaves in her hand, gently rubbing her thumb over it. At that moment her entire demeanor changed, a happy smile coming to her face. "I can feel it," she said, "I don't think I really believed you, Kal. The idea of having a plant for a granddaughter felt like you were playing a bad joke on me. Now I know, she really is your daughter, it's like a tiny part of me recognizes her as one of my own blood. Take me in further Kal."

He did as she asked, and his mother put her hand on the tree's trunk closing her eyes and relaxing into Kal's arms. Perra came up beside him and laid her head on his shoulder, "I'm not sure I've ever seen your mother so at peace."

Kal's mother looked over at the young woman, a contented smile on her face, "I am." A moment later her eyes closed and her head lolled back as her hand slipped off of Eludora's trunk.

"Mother?... Mother!... MOTHER!"

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Ikuno paced back and forth across the furs in her home, someone was coming and she was pretty sure it was Perra since she could feel that Kal was still back at his farmhouse with his mother. Light appeared in the entrance to her cave and eventually revealed Perra holding her enchanted rock, her face streaked from crying.

"I'm not coming," Ikuno growled at the girl.

Perra ignored the oni's words, "Mom wanted me to tell you that it's not a request this time and to bring her books."

Ikuno stared wide-eyed at the girl for a moment.

"FUCK!" yelled the oni stomping into her library. A chair that got in her way came flying out and was reduced to splinters as it hit the side of her bed. The table went crashing into one set of bookshelves, whatever books Kal had been studying ending up in a heap along with the magical lantern. Ikuno knelt down and opened a secret compartment in the bottom of the other set of bookshelves. Yanking out a small leather bag she threw it out into the middle of the floor and yelled, "Dai!"

The image of a green man sitting on a cloud appeared above the pouch, "What do you want now peasan..."

"Shut the fuck up," barked Ikuno, striding out of her library, "So help me if you say another word I will take everything of value out of you, fill you with cow manure, then toss you into the middle of the nearest fucking volcano. Three books, children's stories that I gave to you around eighteen years ago."

Dai's expression went from wide-eyed with shock at her threat to disgust, "Why would you want..."

"NOT ANOTHER FUCKING WORD DAI!"

The bag's avatar snarled back at the oni before three lights flew out of the bag and turned into the books she had asked for.

"Now go away," commanded the oni. As soon as Dai had disappeared Ikuno stepped over the books and stomped repeatedly on the leather bag, grinding her heel in each time before picking it up and flinging it against the back wall of her library. She took a deep calming breath before gingerly picking up the three books on the floor, each of which looked as though it had been read through hundreds of times.

Seeing the shocked look on Perra's face, Ikuno mumbled, "Sorry you had to see that. In case Kal didn't mention it Dai and Ria are nearly indestructible."

"Why, Ikuno?" she asked surveying the mess the oni had caused.

"Because it's one thing to have an idea or a suspicion." Ikuno looked down at the books in her hand, "It's another thing to know for sure."

------

Kal saw Bonn come trotting out of the forest carrying Perra with Ikuno jogging close behind. Stepping inside his house he addressed his visitors. "Master Jurien, Lady Nina, one of my friends is about to arrive. She looks a lot like an ogre but is actually something else called an oni. She's one of my women and will not hurt you," he said before disappearing into his mother's room.

A few seconds later Perra came in closely followed by a blue-skinned giant of a woman that had to duck and turn sideways just to get in the door. Both the apothecary and his wife were thankful for Kal's warning. The large woman nodded towards the two before following Perra to see the young wizard's mother.

"Were those books?" Nina asked her husband.

"Aye, but the way she carried them, you'd think they were made of gold."

Inside the small room, Kal and Perra moved off to either side to make room for the oni.

Ikuno glared down at the woman in the bed despite her eyes filling with tears. "Merantha, you foolish child, why didn't you listen to me?" she said, handing the books to Kal and kneeling next to the bed.

Kal knew there was a connection between his mother and Ikuno but hearing the oni call his mother by her full name still came as a surprise. Looking down he saw the missing volumes to the set of books he had used to learn to read growing up. "No more secrets, please," he said running his hand over the cover of the topmost book.

"No, I suppose there isn't enough time left for secrets," said Kal's mother. Kal winced at the implication. "Sorry dear, but we know it's true. You answered your own question, Ikuno. I was foolish, and I was a child. Worse yet I was a child who was madly in love and few things can make a woman more foolish. Speaking of which, you look beautiful Ikuno, you wear my son's love well. This blue suits you so much better than that greenish color I remember."

"You did good, Mera. Your son has turned into an amazing man and I think it's time he knows the whole story."

Kal's mother nodded and laid her head back, collecting her thoughts before she began to speak. "I've told you the story of how your father and I met and eventually got married. What I didn't tell you was that I was never supposed to happen, near as anyone could tell my mother was barren. Then, by chance, I came along, and I was your Gran and Gramps's only child. Your father was an only child as well but that was because something went wrong when his mother was giving birth to him, she was never able to bear children after that.

After four years of trying to get pregnant, I was desperate, afraid that I had taken after my mother and would only be able to give your father an heir out of luck. I had heard whispers from people in a town to the east, your hometown Perra, of a witch who lived out somewhere in the woods."

Ikuno shook her head with a slight smile, "Around that time, I had come across a bandit raid on some travelers just to the north of the town. Instead of showing myself I used magic to take out the bandits from the forest edge. Apparently, someone saw me as I was trying to sneak away."

Kal's mother nodded, "Being as desperate as I was, I went looking for this witch. It took me some time, and I think your father was starting to worry I had found another man, but I finally stumbled across a cave that was mostly hidden by trees. Without really thinking about what might be inside I stumbled my way through the darkness until I started seeing light from inside. Seeing an angry looking ogre staring back at me gave me an awful fright but as I looked around I saw that she was far more civilized than what I had heard about ogres. Then I saw all of the books in the back and I knew I was in the right place."

"I was reading when she tripped my wards," grumbled Ikuno, "forgot to turn the damn lamp off."

"I begged and begged and begged for a spell that would let me have a child and for the longest time I didn't think she would do it."

Ikuno's hand came down to her belly, "I knew that pain from a long time ago. Thinking I could help save this young girl from something similar, I swore your mother to secrecy and looked up the fertility spell. It isn't even a difficult spell, it just forces the woman's body into her fertile time. I had her stand in the middle of the room and cast the spell. Nothing happened, the spell fizzled. It didn't have anything to work with inside your mother's body and just failed."

Tears ran own Merantha's cheeks at the memory, "My worst nightmare came true, I was barren. I cursed my mother, cursed the gods and goddesses, I even had a few choice words for Ikuno that I regret to this day. I cried myself to sleep on her floor and woke up the next morning in her bed. Ikuno was in the back of the cave with dozens of books laid out over the table, looking exhausted."

"I knew there was a potion that could allow a barren woman to have a child," continued Ikuno, "I knew some of the requirements and that I could help out in a way no other magic-user could."

"How do you mean?" asked Kal.

"Potions like this are a trade-off, you can't get something for nothing. In order for the potion to work both parents have to sacrifice half of their lifeforce to make the child. Sometimes the parents regenerate their lifeforce, sometimes they fade away," Ikuno shot a glare at Kal's mother. "Since my lifeforce replenishes so quickly I thought I could make it safer for your mother and father by adding some of my own into the mix."

"Hold on," said Perra, "Does this mean that in a way you are Kal's mother?"

Ikuno chuckled, "No, he is most definitely the product of his mother and father. However, my contribution is likely the reason he can absorb magic energy from the world around him." She turned back to Kal, "I was going to have to hunt for some of the ingredients, so I told your mother to come back in two months."

"Those were the two most nerve-wracking months of my life. Hope that she could fix me and fear that she wouldn't be able to were constantly on my mind. Your father admitted later that he thought I was going crazy during that time, if I'd had to wait much longer he may have been right."

"Then what about these? How did you end up with them, Ikuno?" asked Kal, holding up the books.

"Those were my price for the potion, I told your mother to bring back her three most treasured possessions. To be honest, I wasn't sure what she might bring. Coming from a peasant girl and farmer, books were probably the last things I expected." Ikuno turned back to Kal's mother, "I will say, you bringing me books as your most precious belonging made me feel like I wasn't throwing away my time doing that for you."